Foundation garment



June 18, 1935. K. E. CUNNINGHAM FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Nov. 23, 195smeE. Cunnmgham ITNESSES Patented June 18, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE FOUNDATION GARNIENT Application November 23, v1933, Serial No.699,462

7 Claims.

This invention relates to foundation garments, and has fortan object toprovide an improved construction wherein a constricting under vest ispresented with either a wrap-around or step-in body structure.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a foundationgarment having a constricting under vest` structure extendingsubstantially from the top to the bottom: thereof at the front andlacing at the front using eyelets to provide a iinal adjustment.

` Afurther object of the invention is toprovide a foundation garmenthaving a body with a vest structure and means for adjusting the body totake the strain from the vest structure,

together with a brassire formation connected to the back portion of thebody and presenting at the front means for supporting and uplifting thebreasts and also presenting a constricting belt to hold the upper partof the body of the garment in position to more or less constricttheparts of the body of the wearer adjacent the diaphragm.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a garmentdisclosing an embodiment of `the invention, the

same being illustrated on a ngure as it would appear when in use; g

Figure 2 is a front view of the garment shown in Figure 1 with thebrassire shown open and the front part ofthe body shown open;

. Figure 3 is a rear view of the structure shown in Figure 2; E

Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure 1 but showing a slightly modiedconstruction;

Figure 5 is a front view spread out of the gare ment shown in Figure 4,the same illustrating how disengageable fasteners may be used from .topto bottom of the garment instead of the sliding fastener shown-in Figure1.

4 Referring to the accompanying drawing by numerals, I indicates a bodywhich may be termed the corset member, and 2 indicates the brassire. Thebody I may be madel of any desired shape but closed at all points exceptat the front Where it 4 has rows of eyelets 3 and d for the reception oflacing 5.

The lacing 5 is always in placebut is usually loosened before removingthe garment or before applying the same. .At one side of the lacing 5 isan opening normally closed by a slide fastener 6,

said fastener extending from the top of the garment downwardly anydesired distance, for instance, to a point near the lower edge, as shownin Fig. 1. Arranged beneath the frontsections 'I and 8 is a veststructured stitched to thebody I and consisting of a plurality ofdiagonally positioned elastics Ill and II and pockets I2 and I3. Thepockets I2 and I3 are preferably provided with stiiening steels, thoughthis is not essential. At the upper end of the vest 9 are elasticmembers I4 and I5 which extend circumferentially instead of diagonally,as is true of members I0 and EI. The diagonal formation of these membersassist in constricting the lower part ofthe body so as to somewhat raiseand mold the saine whereby the body will be rounded and uniformlyshaped. As illustrated in Figure 1 the bodyI of the garment extends overthe hips appreciably and, consequently, not only constricts the lowerpart of the front of the body but the hips also. Preferably the body ofthe garment extends -up to and slightly across the waistline of theperson wearing the garment so that the lower part of the brassire I5 mayact as a belt for holding in the upper part of the body I, and also formore or less constricting the body of the wearer at or adjacent thediaphragm. .As there is no adjustment of the belt section I6, gores I'Iand I8 are provided in the belt section, said gores extending from thebottom of the brassire to the breast pockets, and as these are formed ofelastic material stretchable circumferentially there will be produced atension on the belt section I6 when the disengageable l fasteners I9aresecured together. 30

The disengageable fasteners I9 may be hooks and eyes, snapv fasteners,or other connecting means. Suitable straps 20 and 2| are connected tothe highest point of the breast pockets and extend over the shoouldersand are connected to the extension 22 of body I, said extension beingreally part of the body I as the various pockets or reinforcing members23 extend downwardly to the bottom of the body. If desired, stiffeningmembers could be arranged in the pockets V23. The free portions 2 and 2"of the brassire 2 are connected to the corset body I preferably alongthe Vseams securing the side pockets 22 in place, thus providing a shortfree section 2" and a long free section 2 with fasteners I9 arrangedunder one of the arms.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the under edges of the sections 2 and 2"extend a short distance `over the body I, this overlapping permittingthe y belt structure I6 of the brassire 2 to constrict 50 'and holdagainstbulging the upper part of the body. In order to assist inproviding a snug fit to the upper edge of the body I, elastic sections`24V and 25 are provided at the sides and upper edge. Also, V-shapedgores 26, 2l and 28 are lio formed in the corset body, one of thesegores being at the top and center of the back and the other two at thebottom on each side of the pack panel 29 which merges into the extension22. Suitable hose supporters are also provided, two of these supporters,namely, supporters 39 and 3l having one end connected to the lower endsof the pockets I2 and I3 and the other end connected to the lower partof the sections 'l and 8.

By this arrangement the vest 9 and associated parts may be preventedfrom riding up or shifting in an upward direction. If desired, the hosesupporters could be connected to the Vest structure 9 only, though thearrangement as shown in FigureZis preferable. f

In Figures 4 and 5 a slightly modified structure is disclosed, whereinthe slide fastener is eliminated and the body l is open from toptobottom, said opening being in line with the edge of the flap orextension 2". Suitable hooks and eyes or other disengageable fasteners32 are provided so that this side opening may be connected together. Atthe front laces 5 are used in connection with the rows of eyelets 3 and4. When this form of foundation garment is to be used the lacing 5 isloosened suhciently to `cause the sections 'I and 8 to be completelyloose. The body l which is passed over the body of the wearer is pulleduntil the fasteners 32 are connected. This will bring the elastic veststructure 9 under tension. The body i may then be adjustedy to theproper position, and after this has been done the lacing 5 is tighteneduntil the desired tension is secured. The brassire 2 is then fastened asshown in Figure i andfinally the hose supporters are connected to thehose. In this form of the invention the vest 9 must be stretched by thehands of the person placing the garment on the body. In the form shownin Figure 2 a step-in structure is provided wherein a slide fastener 6is used to secure tension on the Vest 9. When this slide fastenerisAopen and the lacing 5 is loose the wearer may readily pull thegarment over the feet and upwardly to the correct position on the bodywithout bringing the vest 9 under very much tension. However, as soon asthe slide fastener ii has been operated to draw the parts together asshown in Figure 1, the vest 9 will be brought under tension. After thishas been done the body is adjusted to the proper position and then thelacing 5 tightened to the desired extent, after which the brassire isfastened in place. In fastening the brassire in place it will be seenthat the lower edge or that part forming the belt structure I6 willpress against the upper edge of the bodyl holding the same in properposition, and will also by reason of the elastic members Il and I 8 actas a constricting belt to hold the body in a rounder or molded positionat and above the waist-line.

Iclaim:

1. A foundation garment of the character described including a corsetbody open at the front, lacing. for drawing said opening together, anelastic vest arranged beneath the front portion of the corset body andextending across said opening, said body having a second openingextending froin the top downwardly, and a slide fastener for Vdrawingsaid second opening together and bringing said elastic vest undertension, said lacing acting to pull the corset body to relieve saidtension.

2. A foimdation garment including a corset body formed as a step-in,said corset bodyhaving an opening at the front with a flap section oneither side of the opening, a resilient vest having its respective edgesconnected to the corset body substantially at the point where said flapsjoin said corset body, said iiaps and said vest structure being ofsubstantially the same width, means carried by the corset body forstretching said vest after the corset body has been placed in positionon the wearer, and lacing carried by the edge portions of said iiaps,said lacing acting to draw the flaps towards each other and therebyrelieve the tension on said vest structure.

3. A foundation garment including a corset body having an opening in thefront, a projection at the back extending abbve the remaining part ofthe corset body, an elastic vest spanning said opening, said vest actingcontinually as a unit, lacing for drawing said opening together, and abrassire formed as a pair of flaps one connected to the corset body ateach edge of said projection, one of said flaps presenting a lowerelastic section positioned to overlap the upper part of the corset bodyand acting to hold the upper edge of the corset body in place andproduce a molding of the body at a point above the waistline, said lastmentioned ap including a pair of breast pockets and an elastic gore foreach breast pocket extending from the lower edge of the flap upwardly tothe breast pocket, and means forconnecting the free edges of said flapstogether, said means being positioned to maintain said elastic goresunder tension when the garment is in use.

4. A foundation garment including a corset body and a brassire, saidbrassire merging into the corset body at the back and having a shortflap and a long iiap, said long flap being providedwith a pair of breastpockets and an inelastic body, said long nap being divided at twopoints, said points of division extending from the respective breastpockets to the bottom of the brassire an elastic gore arranged at eachpoint of division, said gores extending from the lower edge of thebrassire up to the breast pockets, whereby a circumferential tension isgiven to the corset from the breast pockets downwardly, anddisengageable means for fastening the two iiaps of the brassiretogether.

5. A foundation garment comprising a corset body having a rear panel,side and front panels, said rear panel projecting above the remainingpanels, a pair of circumferentially disposed members connected to saidrear panel at the respective edges thereof near the top, saidcircumferential members forming a brassire, one of said circumferentialmembers being provided with a pair of elastic sections, and breastpockets arranged above the elastic sections and disengageable'fasteningmeans for connecting said circumferentially disposed members so thatsaid elastic sections will be under tension.

6. In a garment of the character described, a structure acting as abrassire divided at one point from top to bottom, disengageablefastening means for connecting said points together, said brassire beingformed with a pair of breast pockets in the upper half and the lowerhalf being formed with a pair of elastic gores elasticcircumferentially, and with inelastic members on each side whereby aconstricting belt structure is presented below the breast pockets forconstricting the body of the wearer at a point above the waistlinewithout interfering with the brassire said disengageable fastening meansbeing positioned to cause said elastic gores to be continually undertension when the garment is in use.

7. A foundation garment comprising a corset i body and a brassire, saidcorset body having a pair of `iront panels, a pair of side sections anda rear section?, said rear section extending above the front panels andside sections, an elastic vest connected with the side sectionssubstantially at the same line of connection as the front panels, eachof said front panelshaving a free edge provided with a row of eyelets,and lacing extending through said eyelets for drawing said front panelsl0 together, said brassire having along and a short portion, said longportion having a. pair of spaced breast pockets in the upper part and anelastic gore extending from each of the breast pockets to the lower edgeof the brassire, and means for disengageably connecting said long andshort portions said last mentioned means being positioned to maintainsaid gores under tension when the garment is in use.

